The Watchman On The Wall

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Verse 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Israel Deploys Arrow 3 Missile System

Israel's upgraded ballistic missile shield became operational on
Wednesday, in an extension of its capabilities to outer space where incoming
missiles can be safely destroyed.

The Defence Ministry said the U.S.-funded Arrow 3 system, jointly developed by
state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and U.S. firm Boeing Co., was handed
over the Israeli Air Force.

The Arrow 3, together
with the Arrow 2, which has been operational since 2000, would
"significantly reduce the possibilities of ballistic missiles"
hitting Israel, the ministry said in a statement.

The Arrow 2 is designed
to intercept projectiles high and low within the atmosphere. Arrow 3 missiles
will fly into space, where their warheads detach to become "kamikaze"
satellites that track and slam into their targets. See the image at the end of the article.

Such high-altitude shoot-downs are meant to safely destroy
incoming nuclear, biological or chemical missiles. Israel has frequently voiced
concern about a ballistic missile threat posed by its arch-foe, Iran.

The United States has its own system for intercepting ballistic
missiles in space, Aegis.

Arrow serves as the top
tier of an
integrated Israeli shield built up to withstand various potential missile or
rocket salvoes. The bottom
tier is the already-deployed short-range Iron Dome interceptor, which
was used extensively with high success rates in a 2014 Gaza war against Hamas
militants.

Another Israeli system called David's Sling is being developed to shoot down mid-range,
lower-altitude missiles, such as those in the arsenal of Iranian-backed
Hezbollah, a Lebanese group which last fought a war with Israel in 2006.